Thursday, September 29, 2011

HELP! NO ONE HAS SIGNED UP TO HOST OUR FELLOWSHIP THIS SUNDAY. IF EVERYONE BRINGS A LITTLE SOMETHING, THERE WILL BE ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE.

Today the Church celebrates St. Michael and all the Angels. This day is also known as “Michaelmas”, and in England this semester of the academic year at Oxford and Cambridge is known as Michaelmas term.

The word “angel” is from the Greek work “ανγελος” (angelos) meaning “messenger”; so, an angel is God’s messenger. Michael in Hebrew means “who is like God?”

Scripture refers to God’s messengers. For example, Michael is mentioned in the Old Testament Book of Daniel: “At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. (Dan. 12:1-2).

We also hear about Michael in the New Testament Book of Revelation: “And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” (Rev. 12: 7-9).

We see in the New Testament how God sends His messengers at critical times, for example, when the Angel Gabriel visited Zachariah and later Mary. To be sure, there are times in our lives when God send His messengers to show us the way or to give us comfort. So on this day, we celebrate God’s messengers who carry God’s love to us.

Let us pray: Everlasting God, who have ordained and constituted in a wonderful order the ministries of angels and mortals: Mercifully grant that, as your holy angels always serve and worship you in heaven, so by your appointment they may help and defend us here on earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

THIRD ANNUAL ART SHOW: Please sign up to host. The annual art show allows us to share our facilities with others and to showcase the creativity of artists. It last for 2 more weeks: Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and until 9 p.m. during Art Walk.

ECW & DOK QUIET DAY RETREAT: Saturday, 8 October starting at 9:30 a.m. at St. Augustine with the Rev. Helen Appelberg. Please call 409.762.9676 or email judyricketts100@gmail.com to let them know you will attend.

BLESSING OF THE AMINALS: Saturday, 8 October at 9:00 a.m. on the lawn in front of Sutton Hall. Please pass the word along to those you know.

ECW ANNUAL RETREAT 14-15 OCTOBER 2011 at Camp Allen. Please sign up.

ST. AUGUSTINE IS GOING GREEN (WITH OUR COFFEE CUPS). St. Augustine is going green (with our coffee cups). In order to cut down on the use of Styrofoam cups, please bring a coffee cup for the Fellowship hour, and maybe even 2 or 3 to share with our visitors. We will store them in Sutton Hall and wash them in our dishwasher.

CLOTHING DRIVE FOR VICTIMS OF THE WILDFIRES: We will begin a clothing drive for the victims of the wildfires, especially the people of Bastrop and Calvary Episcopal. Please bring only CLEAN CLOTHES, SORT THEM BY SIZE, MALE/FEMALE, AND BOX THEM. Thank you in advance.

FELLOWSHIP ON SUNDAYS: If you haven’t signed up yet, please do.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST especially all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

Jesus! the name that charms our fears,That bids our sorrows cease;'Tis music in the sinner's ears,'Tis life and health and peace.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

In today’s Daily Office we hear from the seventh chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew:

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits.”

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” (Mt. 7:13-21).

Matthew is more concerned with how one acts than in exactly what one believes. Simply calling upon the name of the Lord is not enough; rather, the follower of Jesus must, like Jesus himself, do the will of the Father. Doing the Father’s will is not easy. Today, Jesus tells us it is like entering a narrow gate; it can be a tight squeeze, and sometimes it will entail rejection by even those closest to us. Nevertheless, the follower of Jesus, the Christian, is called to do just that, the Father’s will. Those around us will be able to tell that we are His followers by fruit of our lives.

Let us pray: Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings with your most gracious favor, and further us with your continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in thee, we may glorify your holy Name, and finally, by your mercy, obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

THIRD ANNUAL ART SHOW: Please sign up to host. The annual art show allows us to share our facilities with others and to showcase the creativity of artists. It last for 2 more weeks: Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and until 9 p.m. during Art Walk.

ECW & DOK QUIET DAY RETREAT: Saturday, 8 October starting at 9:30 a.m. with the Rev. Helen Appelberg. Please call 409.762.9676 or email judyricketts100@gmail.com to let them know you will attend.

BLESSING OF THE AMINALS: Saturday, 8 October at 9:00 a.m. on the lawn in front of Sutton Hall. Please pass the word along to those you know.

ECW ANNUAL RETREAT 14-15 OCTOBER 2011 at Camp Allen. Please sign up.

ST. AUGUSTINE IS GOING GREEN (WITH OUR COFFEE CUPS). St. Augustine is going green (with our coffee cups). In order to cut down on the use of Styrofoam cups, please bring a coffee cup for the Fellowship hour, and maybe even 2 or 3 to share with our visitors. We will store them in Sutton Hall and wash them in our dishwasher.

CLOTHING DRIVE FOR VICTIMS OF THE WILDFIRES: We will begin a clothing drive for the victims of the wildfires, especially the people of Bastrop and Calvary Episcopal. Please bring only CLEAN CLOTHES, SORT THEM BY SIZE, MALE/FEMALE, AND BOX THEM. Thank you in advance.

FELLOWSHIP ON SUNDAYS: If you haven’t signed up yet, please do.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST especially all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

“It is not that I want merely to be called a Christian, but actually to be one. Yes, if I prove to be one, then I can have the name.”—Ignatius of Antioch (35-120)

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Today we celebrate the patron saint of an institution that embodies what St. Vincent de Paul was all about, St. Vincent’s House in Galveston.

Vincent was born in 1581 in Gascony, France. His parents were peasant farmers, and they worked hard to raise Vincent and his 4 brothers and 2 sisters. Vincent was an intelligent young man, so his father sought out an education for him.

Vincent studied humanities in Dax, France, with the Cordeliers and he graduated in theology at Toulouse. He was ordained when he was 20 years old.

Having had a taste of a life much different from his peasant upbringing, Vincent wanted to have a “successful career” as a priest, but he reconnected with his own peasant past. James Kiefer tells us that when Vincent was 30:

He accepted a post as chaplain and tutor in the household of Philip de Gondi, Count of Joigny. This brought him into contact with the peasants on the Gondi estate, and he became concerned for their needs, physical and spiritual. A peasant who believed himself to be dying confessed to him that his previous confessions for many years had been dishonest. Vincent began to preach in the local church on confession, repentance, forgiveness, and the love of God. His sermons drew such crowds of penitents that he had to call in a group of other priests to assist him. He took on the pastorship of a neighboring church attended by a more fashionable and aristocratic crowd, and there he likewise drew many of his listeners to repentance and amendment of life. Returning to Paris, he worked among the prisoners destined for the galleys who were being held at the Conciergerie.

In 1625 he established the Congregation of the Mission (now known as the Vincentians, or the Lazarists), a community of priests who undertook to renounce all ecclesiastical advancement and devote themselves to work in the small towns and villages of France. In an age not noted for "interdenominational courtesy," he instructed his missioners that Protestants were to be treated as brothers, with respect and love, without patronage or condescension or contentiousness. Wealthy men and women came to him, expressing a wish to amend their lives, and he organized them into a Confraternity of Charity, and set them to work caring for the poor and sick in hospitals and in home visits. In 1633 the Archbishop or Paris gave him the Priory of St Lazare as a headquarters. There he offered retreats six times a year for those who were preparing for the ministry. These lasted two weeks each, and each involved about eighty students. He then began to offer similar retreats for laypersons of all classes and widely varying backgrounds. He said (identifying Lazarus of the Parable with Lazarus of Bethany):

This house was formerly used as a retreat for lepers, and not One of them was cured. Now it is used to receive sinners, who are sick men coveed with spiritual leprosy, but are cured by the grace of God. Nay, rather, they are dead men brought back to life. What a joy it is to think that the house of St Lazare is a house of resurrection! Lazarus, after he had been four days in the tomb, came out alive, and our Lord who raised him up still gives the same grace to many who, after staying here some days as in the grave of Lazarus, come out with a new life.

Out of his Confraternity of Charity there arose an order of nuns called the Daughters (or Sisters) of Charity, devoted to nursing those who were sick and poor. He said of them, "Their convent is the sick-room, their chapel the parish church, their cloister the streets of the city." Many babies were abandoned in Paris every year, and when Vincent saw some of them, he established an orphanage for them, and thereafter often wandered through the slums, looking in corners for abandoned babies, which he carried back to the orphanage.

He complained to the King that ecclesiastical posts were distributed simply as political favors, and that the spiritual qualifications of the appointees were simply ignored. The King responded by creating a Council of Conscience to remedy the matter, with Vincent at the head. On one occasion, a noblewoman of the court, furious with Vincent because he refused to nominate her son for a position as bishop, threw a stool at him. He left the room with a stream of blood pouring from his forehead, and said to a companion who was waiting for him, "Is it not wonderful how strong a mother's love for her son can be?" He died 27 September 1660.

Let us pray: Loving God, we thank you for your servant Vincent de Paul, who gave himself to training clergy to work among the poor and provided many institutions to aid the sick, orphans and prisoners. May we, like him, encounter Christ in the needy, the outcast and the friendless, that we may come at length into your kingdom where you reign, one God, holy and undivided Trinity, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

THE THIRD ANNUAL ART SHOW: Please sign up to host. The annual art show allows us to share our facilities with others and to showcase the creativity of artists. It last for 2 more weeks: Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and until 9 p.m. during Art Walk.

ECW & DOK QUIET DAY RETREAT: SATURDAY, 8 OCTOBER starting at 9:30 a.m. with the Rev. Helen Appelberg. Please call 409.762.9676 or email judyricketts100@gmail.com to let them know you will attend.

BLESSING OF THE AMINALS: Saturday, 8 October at 9:00 a.m. on the lawn in front of Sutton Hall. Please pass the word along to those you know.

ECW ANNUAL RETREAT 14-15 OCTOBER 2011 at Camp Allen. Please sign up.

ST. AUGUSTINE IS GOING GREEN (WITH OUR COFFEE CUPS). In order to cut down on the use of Styrofoam cups, please bring a coffee cup for the Fellowship hour, and maybe even 2 or 3 to share with our visitors. We will store them in Sutton Hall and wash them in our dishwasher.

CLOTHING DRIVE FOR VICTIMS OF THE WILDFIRES: We will begin a clothing drive for the victims of the wildfires, especially the people of Bastrop and Calvary Episcopal. Please bring only CLEAN CLOTHES, SORT THEM BY SIZE, MALE/FEMALE, AND BOX THEM. Thank you in advance.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST especially all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

“It is our duty to prefer the service of the poor to everything else and to offer such service as quickly as possible. If a needy person requires medicine or other help during prayer time, do whatever has to be done with peace of mind. Offer the deed to God as your prayer.... Charity is certainly greater than any rule. Moreover, all rules must lead to charity.” –Vincent de Paul

Monday, September 26, 2011

Today the Church remembers a scholarly Anglican and one of the translators of the King James Bible, Lancelot Andrewes, Bishop of Winchester, England, who was born in 1555 and died in 1626. Everyone, in all likelihood, has a copy of this translation of sacred Scripture in the Family Bible with all of the family’s history. The translation also has some of the most memorable phrases in the English language, next to the Book of Common Prayer.

James Kiefer writes:

Lancelot Andrewes was on the committee of scholars that produced the King James translation of the Bible, and probably contributed more to that work than any other single person. It is accordingly no surprise to find him not only a devout writer but a learned and eloquent one, a master of English prose, and learned in Latin, Greek, Hebrew and eighteen other languages. His sermons were popular in his own day, but are perhaps too academic for most modern readers. He prepared for his own use a manuscript notebook of Private Prayers, which was published after his death. The material was apparently intended, not to be read aloud, but to serve as a guide and stimulus to devout meditation. What follows is a brief extract from the section for Thursday Morning. The reader will note that he commemorates three events associated with Thursday: (1) the creation of air and water animals (mostly birds and fish) on the Fifth Day of Creation as described in Genesis 1; (2) the institution of the Sacrament of the Lord's supper by Our Lord Jesus Christ on the evening before He was crucified (Matthew 26); and (3) the Ascension of Our Lord into heaven forty days after His resurrection (Acts 1):

The things concerning the Ascension:Set up Thyself, O God, above the heavensand Thy glory above all the earth.By thine Ascensiondraw us withal unto Thee, O Lord,so as to set our affections on things above,and not on things on the earth.

By the awful mystery of Thy Holy Body and PreciousBlood in the evening of this day:Lord, have mercy.

FAITHComing unto God,I believe that He is,and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him:I know that my Redeemer liveth;that He is the Christ the Son of the Living God;that He is indeed the Saviour of the world;that He came into the world to save sinners,of whom I am chief.Through the grace of Jesus Christwe believe that we shall be savedeven as our fathers withal.I believe verily to see the goodness of the Lordin the land of the living.

THANKSGIVINGO my Lord, my Lord, I thank Theefor that I am,that I am alive,that I am rational:for nurture,preservation,governance:for education,citizenship,religion:for Thy gifts of grace,nature,estate:for redemption,regeneration,instruction:for calling,recalling,further calling manifold:for forbearance,longsuffering,long longsuffering towards me,many times,many years,until now:for all good offices I have received,good speed I have gotten:for any good thing done:for the use of things present,thy promiseand my hopetouching the fruition of the good things to come:for my parents honest and good,teachers gentle,benefactors always to be had in remembrance,colleagues likeminded,hearers attentive,friends sincere,retainers faithful:for all who have stood me in good steadby their writings,their sermons,conversations,prayers,examples,rebukes,wrongs:for these things and all other,which I wot of, which I wot not of,open and secret,things I remember, things I have forgotten withal,things done to me after my will or yet against my will,I confess to Thee and bless Thee and give thanks unto Thee,and I will confess and bless and give thanks to Theeall the days of my life.What thanks can I render to God againfor all the benefits that He hath done unto me?

HOLY, HOLY, HOLYThou are worthy, O Lord and our God, the Holy One,to receive the glory and the honour and the power:for Thou hast created all things,and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.

Let us pray: Almighty God, you gave your servant Lancelot Andrewes the gift of your Holy Spirit and made him a man of prayer and a faithful pastor of your people: Perfect in us what is lacking in your gifts, of faith, to increase it, of hope, to establish it, of love, to kindle it, that we may live in the life of your grace and glory; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the same Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

THE THIRD ANNUAL ART SHOW: Please sign up to host. The annual art show allows us to share our facilities with others and to showcase the creativity of artists. Times: Sundays (25 September, 2 & 9 October: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays (1 October: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 10 October, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. during ArtWalk).

ECW & DOK QUIET DAY RETREAT: Saturday, 8 October starting at 9:30 a.m. with the Rev. Helen Appelberg. Please call 409.762.9676 or email judyricketts100@gmail.com to let them know you will attend.

BLESSING OF THE AMINALS: Saturday, 8 October at 9:00 a.m. on the lawn in front of Sutton Hall.

ECW ANNUAL RETREAT 14-15 OCTOBER 2011 at Camp Allen. Please sign up.

ST. AUGUSTINE IS GOING GREEN (WITH OUR COFFEE CUPS). In order to cut down on the use of Styrofoam cups, please bring a coffee cup for the Fellowship hour, and maybe even 2 or 3 to share with our visitors. We will store them in Sutton Hall and wash them in our dishwasher.

CLOTHING DRIVE FOR VICTIMS OF THE WILDFIRES: We will begin a clothing drive for the victims of the wildfires, especially the people of Bastrop and Calvary Episcopal. Please bring only CLEAN CLOTHES, SORT THEM BY SIZE, MALE/FEMALE, AND BOX THEM. Thank you in advance.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST especially all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

Friday, September 23, 2011

In today’s Daily Office reading from Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, we receive some sound marriage advice and Paul tells us that marriage is a mutual relationship:

Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: ‘It is well for a man not to touch a woman.’ But because of cases of sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another except perhaps by agreement for a set time, to devote yourselves to prayer, and then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. This I say by way of concession, not of command. I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has a particular gift from God, one having one kind and another a different kind.

To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is well for them to remain unmarried as I am. But if they are not practicing self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion. (1 Cor. 7: 1-9)

There are many who say that Paul had a very negative attitude toward women, but when we read Paul’s writings carefully, we see that is not the case. The basic underpinning of today’s passage is that of mutual respect. Paul tells us that the husband must respect the wife, and the wife must respect the husband. Marriage is a two way street.

Let us pray: O God, you have so consecrated the covenant of marriage that in it is represented the spiritual unity between Christ and his Church: Send therefore your blessing upon all married people that they may so love, honor, and cherish each other in faithfulness and patience, in wisdom and true godliness, that their homes may be a haven of blessing and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

THIRD ANNUAL ART SHOW starts Saturday evening at 6 p.m., the 24th of September. Please sign up to host. We also need cookies and punch for the opening on Saturday. Please let me know if you can help with this. The annual art show allows us to share our facilities with others and to showcase the creativity of artists. Times: Sundays (25 September, 2 & 9 October: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays (1 October: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 10 October, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. during ArtWalk).

NEW WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDY begins this Sunday at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

ST. VINCENT'S HOUSE: This Saturday, the 24th of September at 10 a.m. the pre-school at St. Vincent’s House will be re-dedicated and the Second Annual Afreda Houston Community Servant Award. Then join us on Sunday, 25 September at the 9 a.m. Eucharist at St. Augustine as we celebrate the ministry of St. Vincent’s House. The preacher will be the Rev. Tom Bain.

ECW & DOK QUIET DAY RETREAT: Saturday, 8 October starting at 9:30 a.m. with the Rev. Helen Appelberg. Please call 409.762.9676 or email judyricketts100@gmail.com to let them know you will attend.

BLESSING OF THE AMINALS: Saturday, 8 October at 10:30 a.m. on the lawn in front of Sutton Hall.

ECW ANNUAL RETREAT 14-15 October 2011 at Camp Allen. Please sign up.

ST. AUGUSTINE IS GOING GREEN (with our coffee cups). In order to cut down on the use of Styrofoam cups, please bring a coffee cup for the Fellowship hour, and maybe even 2 or 3 to share with our visitors. We will store them in Sutton Hall and wash them in our dishwasher.

CLOTHING DRIVE FOR VICTIMS OF THE WILDFIRES: We will begin a clothing drive for the victims of the wildfires, especially the people of Bastrop and Calvary Episcopal. Please bring only CLEAN CLOTHES, SORT THEM BY SIZE, MALE/FEMALE, AND BOX THEM. Thank you in advance.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Tammie’s father who is recovering from surgery, for all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

"The things we really need come to us only as gifts, and in order to receive them as gifts we have to be open. In order to be open we have to renounce ourselves, in a sense we have to die to our image of ourselves, our autonomy, our fixation upon our self-willed identity.” —Fr. Thomas Merton, O.C.S.O. (1915-1968)

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Today the Episcopal Church remembers and honors a bishop from the 1800s, Philander Chase.

James Kiefer writes:

Philander Chase was born in New Hampshire in 1775. He graduated from Dartmouth, and then entered the ministry in the Episcopal Church. He felt the calling to preaching on the frontier and so moved west. He became bishop of Ohio, and also founded Kenyon College, raising the necessary funds in England. He ran into conflicts, both in his diocese and in the college, and so resigned his positions and moved to Michigan. However, the newly-formed diocese of Illinois called him in 1835 to be its bishop, and he served in this position until his death.

Chase was very concerned about the training of clergy for the missionary lands in the West. Despite his hard work, and unending travel (he logged over 1200 miles on horseback between June, 1820, and June, 1821), Chase found it exceedingly difficult to find trained clergy. Chase formulated a plan: he would found a theological seminary in the West to train clergy for the West. Other bishops strongly objected to Chase’s plan believing that the General Theological Seminary in New York (founded in 1817) was sufficient to train western clergy. In response, Chase wrote:

The few clergy we have may keep us alive, under Providence, a little longer; but when they die or move away, we have no means to supply their places...We may think of the privileges at the east, of the means of education there; but this is all; they are out of our reach. Besides, if our young men were there, if we could find the money in our woods, or drag it from our streams, to send and maintain them at the eastern seminaries, who could insure us that they would not be enticed, by the superior offers held out to them, to settle there, and leave us in our wants?

In short, unless we can have some little means of educating our pious men here, and here being secure of their affections, station them in our woods and among our scattered people, to gather in and nourish our wandering lambs, we have no reason to hope in the continuance of the Church in the west.

Chase could not raise the necessary funds for his theological seminary in America, so he ignored the opposition from the East and traveled to England to solicit donations. Accompanied only by a single letter of introduction (that of Henry Clay to the Lord Gambier), Chase set sail in October, 1823. That single letter, along with his determination, proved successful. By July, 1824, Chase had raised nearly $30,000 dollars for his seminary. In December, the Ohio legislature incorporated Chase’s theological seminary, which he would name Kenyon College, after one of its chief benefactors.

Let us pray: Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith: We give you heartfelt thanks for the pioneering spirit of your servant Philander Chase, and for his zeal in opening new frontiers for the ministry of your Church. Grant us grace to minister in Christ”s name in every place, led by bold witnesses to the Gospel of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

The Third Annual Art Show, starts Saturday evening at 6 p.m., the 24th of September. Please sign up to host. We also need cookies and punch for the opening on Saturday. Please let me know if you can help with this. The annual art show allows us to share our facilities with others and to showcase the creativity of artists. Times: Sundays (25 September, 2 & 9 October: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays (1 October: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 10 October, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. during ArtWalk).

New Women’s Bible Study begins this Sunday at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

ST. VINCENT'S HOUSE: This Saturday, the 24th of September at 10 a.m. the pre-school at St. Vincent’s House will be re-dedicated and the Second Annual Afreda Houston Community Servant Award. Then join us on Sunday, 25 September at the 9 a.m. Eucharist at St. Augustine as we celebrate the ministry of St. Vincent’s House. The preacher will be the Rev. Tom Bain.

ECW & DOK Quiet Day Retreat: Saturday, 8 October starting at 9:30 a.m. with the Rev. Helen Appelberg. Please call 409.762.9676 or email judyricketts100@gmail.com to let them know you will attend.

BLESSING OF THE AMINALS: Saturday, 8 October at 10:30 a.m. on the lawn in front of Sutton Hall.

St. Augustine is going green (with our coffee cups). In order to cut down on the use of Styrofoam cups, please bring a coffee cup for the Fellowship hour, and maybe even 2 or 3 to share with our visitors. We will store them in Sutton Hall and wash them in our dishwasher.

CLOTHING DRIVE FOR VICTIMS OF THE WILDFIRES: We will begin a clothing drive for the victims of the wildfires, especially the people of Bastrop and Calvary Episcopal. Please bring only CLEAN CLOTHES, SORT THEM BY SIZE, MALE/FEMALE, AND BOX THEM. Thank you in advance.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Tammie’s father who is recovering from surgery, for all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

“There’s no greater lifestyle and no greater happiness than that of having a continual conversation with God.” —Brother Lawrence (1614-1691)

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Today is the feast day of St. Matthew the Evangelist. He was a tax collector whom Jesus called to follow him. Now tax collectors were not especially honest people in Jesus’ day; they were despised and considered traitors by the Jewish people because they worked for the Romans. Tax collectors added insult to injury because they made their living by skimming off the top of their tax collections—a little value added tax.

Yet, Jesus called this person, despised by his fellow countrymen, to be a disciple and then an Apostle of the Resurrection. Here is the account of his call:

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.

And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax-collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax-collectors and sinners?’ But when he heard this, he said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.’ (Mt. 9: 3-13).And so Jesus called not a righteous man, but a man who was despised by others, to follow him. Jesus’ love for Matthew transformed him into a saint, one who sought holiness and to spread the Good News of Christ and what Christ did for all of humanity by his life, death and resurrection.

Let us pray: We thank you, heavenly Father, for the witness of your apostle and evangelist Matthew to the Gospel of your Son our Savior; and we pray that, after his example, we may with ready wills and hearts obey the calling of our Lord to follow him; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

THE THIRD ANNUAL ART SHOW, starts Saturday evening, the 24th of September. Please sign up to host. The annual art show allows us to share our facilities with others and to showcase the creativity of artists.

NEW WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY begins this Sunday at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

ST. VINCENT'S HOUSE: This Saturday, the 24th of September at 10 a.m. the pre-school at St. Vincent’s House will be re-dedicated and the Second Annual Afreda Houston Community Servant Award. Then join us on Sunday, 25 September at the 9 a.m. Eucharist at St. Augustine as we celebrate the ministry of St. Vincent’s House. The preacher will be the Rev. Tom Bain.

A LITTLE ST. VINCENT’S HISTORY: It was started in 1954 as an outreach of our community of faith, St. Augustine of Hippo, while the Rev. Fred Sutton was vicar, who wanted to reach out to the poorest of the children on the Island. The first director was Charles Lemons. It is “an oasis of hope expecting miracles.”

ST. AUGUSTINE IS GOING GREEN (WITH OUR COFFEE CUPS). In order to cut down on the use of Styrofoam cups, please bring a coffee cup for the Fellowship hour, and maybe even 2 or 3 to share with our visitors. We will store them in Sutton Hall and wash them in our dishwasher.

CLOTHING DRIVE FOR VICTIMS OF THE WILDFIRES: We will begin a clothing drive for the victims of the wildfires, especially the people of Bastrop and Calvary Episcopal. Please bring only CLEAN CLOTHES, SORT THEM BY SIZE, MALE/FEMALE, AND BOX THEM. Thank you in advance.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Tammie’s father who is recovering from surgery, for all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

Monday, September 19, 2011

One of the appointed Psalms for today is the 77th Psalm, and verses 17 and 18:

The clouds poured out water;the skies thundered;your arrows flashed on every side.The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;your lightnings lit up the world;the earth trembled and shook.

What a welcome relief the rains yesterday and early this morning were! In the midst of this draught, the earth and its foliage were refreshed and renewed. Sometimes we take the small things in life for granted, the small things like rain. However, when it is absent for a long season, we remember how precious it is and what a gift from God it is. Today, let’s give thanks for the gift of rain!

Let us pray: O heavenly Father, who has filled the world with beauty: Open our eyes to behold your gracious hand in all your works, and today especially for the gift of rain; that, rejoicing in thy whole creation, we may learn to serve you with gladness; for the sake of him through whom all things were made, thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

The Third Annual Art Show, starts Saturday evening, the 24th of September. Please sign up to host. The annual art show allows us to share our facilities with others and to showcase the creativity of artists.

New Women’s Bible Study begins this Sunday at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

ST. VINCENT'S HOUSE: It began in 1954 as a small outreach ministry of St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church to the youth and residents “north of Broadway.” St. Vincent’s House has become an urban mission of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas and a recognized Jubilee Ministry. This Saturday, the 24th of September at 10 a.m. the pre-school at St. Vincent’s House will be re-dedicated and the Second Annual Afreda Houston Community Servant Award. Then join us on Sunday, 25 September at the 9 a.m. Eucharist at St. Augustine as we celebrate the ministry of St. Vincent’s House. The preacher will be the Rev. Tom Bain.

St. Augustine is going green (with our coffee cups). In order to cut down on the use of Styrofoam cups, please bring a coffee cup for the Fellowship hour, and maybe even 2 or 3 to share with our visitors. We will store them in Sutton Hall and wash them in our dishwasher.

REPORT FROM THE BISHOP’S COMMITTEE MEETING: We had a fruitful meeting yesterday. The Building Committee (Pat Tate, chair; Bob Newding and Mike Lidstone) provided us with a very thorough report regarding some areas that need attention, and given limited financial resources, prioritized them for action. One of the first action items is the roof over the sacristy which needs to be replaced. The second concerns the A/C system in the church and the need for large air returns. The Committee also authorized Bill Taylor to enter into a contract with TES for a lower price per kilowatt hour for our electrical use. We have also sent to the Diocese our Missionary Asking ($2534) and the Diocesan Budget Assessment ($1981). Out of our total assessment of $6908, our only remaining financial obligation to the Diocese this year is our portion of the insurance costs for the Diocese ($2393).

CLOTHING DRIVE FOR VICTIMS OF THE WILDFIRES: We will begin a clothing drive for the victims of the wildfires, especially the people of Bastrop and Calvary Episcopal. Please bring only CLEAN CLOTHES, SORT THEM BY SIZE, MALE/FEMALE, AND BOX THEM. Thank you in advance.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Tammie’s father who is recovering from surgery, for all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

“The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me.” —Martin Luther (1483-1546)

Friday, September 16, 2011

Today the Church commemorates St. Ninian who is known as the first saint of Scotland. In his Ecclesiastical History of the English Peoples, Venerable Bede told us that Ninian lived around the 4th century and that he was the son of a converted chieftain of the Cumbrian Britons. Ninian studied in Rome and was ordained a priest and then consecrated a bishop and he returned to evangelize his native Britain.

Ninian had his church built by masons from St. Martin's Monastery in Tours, France, which became known as The Great Monastery and was the center of his missionary activities. From it, Ninian and his monks evangelized neighboring Britons and the Picts of Valentia. Ninian was known for his miracles, among them curing a chieftain of blindness, which cure led to many conversions.

Let us pray: O God, who by the preaching of your blessed servant and bishop Ninian caused the light of the Gospel to shine in the land of Britain: Grant, we pray, that, having his life and labors in remembrance, we may show our thankfulness by following the example of his zeal and patience; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Bishop's Committee Meeting after the service (this is the third Sunday of the month).

We will celebrate the ministry of St. Vincent’s House on Sunday, 25 September 2011 with Eucharist Rite II at St. Augustine of Hippo.

The Third Annual St. Augustine Art Show begins this month and the theme is "Love."

PLEASE REMEMBER THOSE ON OUR PRAYER LIST: We pray for all of those whose lives have been impacted by the wild fires blazing through Texas, especially the people of Bastrop and the congregation of Calvary Episcopal Church. We pray for all of the unemployed.

“The world is a work of art, set before all for contemplation, so that through it the wisdom of Him who created it should be known.” —St. Basil, from Exegetical Works, On the Hexameron (330-379)

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Today the Church remembers and honors St. Cyprian, who also happens to be the saint of the month featured in our newsletter, the City of God. James Kiefer writes:

Cyprian was born around 200 AD in North Africa, of pagan parents. He was a prominent trial lawyer and teacher of rhetoric. Around 246 he became a Christian, and in 248 was chosen Bishop of Carthage. A year later the persecution under the Emperor Decius began, and Cyprian went into hiding. He was severely censured for this. After the persecution had died down, it remained to consider how to deal with the lapsed, meaning with those Christians who had denied the faith under duress. Cyprian held that they ought to be received back into full communion after suitable intervals of probation and penance, adjusted to the gravity of the denial. In this he took a middle course between Novatus, who received apostates with no probation at all, and Novatian, who would not receive them back at all, and who broke communion with the rest of the Church over this issue, forming a dissident group particularly strong in Rome and Antioch. …

During the reign of the Emperor Valerian, Carthage suffered a severe plague epidemic. Cyprian organized a program of medical relief and nursing of the sick, available to all residents, but this did not prevent the masses from being convinced that the epidemic resulted from the wrath of the gods at the spread of Christianity. Another persecution arose, and this time Cyprian did not flee. He was arrested, tried, and finally beheaded on 14 September 258.

Let us pray: Almighty God, who gave to your servant Cyprian boldness to confess the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ before the rulers of this world, and courage to die for this faith: Grant that we may always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us, and to suffer gladly for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Bishop's Committee Meeting after the service (this is the third Sunday of the month).

We will celebrate the ministry of St. Vincent’s House on Sunday, 25 September 2011 with Eucharist Rite II at St. Augustine of Hippo.

The Third Annual St. Augustine Art Show begins this month and the theme is "Love."

PLEASE REMEMBER THOSE ON OUR PRAYER LIST: We pray for all of those whose lives have been impacted by the wild fires blazing through Texas, especially the people of Bastrop and the congregation of Calvary Episcopal Church. We pray for all of the unemployed.

“Therefore let us repent and pass from ignorance to knowledge, from foolishness to wisdom, from licentiousness to self-control, from injustice to righteousness, from godlessness to God.” — St. Clement of Alexandria (150-215)

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Today is the Feast of the Holy Cross. We wear crosses made of silver and gold dangling from a chain. We make the sign of the cross with our right hand when we begin and end prayer. We process into the liturgy with a bronze cross leading the way. Priests bless using the sign of the cross. But do we stop to think about what the cross means when we put it on, or when we sign ourselves with it, when we carry it in procession or when we bless?

It was an instrument or torture used by the Romans to execute people. Jesus was executed on this instrumentality. Jesus also turned a device used to kill into a device that signifies life. That is just like God to take things and to turn them upside down. By this instrument of death, the Son of God brought life to the world; he took away our sins and granted us pardon and peace.

So every time that you put on the cross necklace, every time that you make the sign of the cross when you pray, every time that you bow your head as the cross passes by in procession, every time that the priest blesses, give thanks for the cross on which hung the Savior of the World, for by His cross and resurrection, we have been freed.

Let us pray: O God, who by the passion of your blessed Son made an instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life and peace: Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ, that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Bishop's Committee Meeting after the service (this is the third Sunday of the month).

We will celebrate the ministry of St. Vincent’s House on Sunday, 25 September 2011 with Eucharist Rite II at St. Augustine of Hippo.

The Third Annual St. Augustine Art Show begins this month and the theme is "Love."

PLEASE REMEMBER THOSE ON OUR PRAYER LIST: We pray for all of those whose lives have been impacted by the wild fires blazing through Texas, especially the people of Bastrop and the congregation of Calvary Episcopal Church and their rector, the Rev. Lisa Hines. We pray for all of the unemployed. We pray in thanksgiving and gratitude for the generosity of St. Augustine’s friends who show the love of Christ to us, and especially for John J. Makowski, Jr.

“Whenever anything disagreeable or displeasing happens to you remember Christ crucified and be silent.” —John of the Cross (1542-1591)

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

The Epistle for the Daily Office is taken from Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians:

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’ (1 Cor. 1: 20-31).

By the world’s standards, what Christians believe and do makes little or no sense. In a world where power is desirable, why would anyone believe that a life of service is better? In a world where the accumulation of wealth seems to be the goal, why would anyone desire to be generous and expect nothing in return? In a world where one’s selfish desires and appetites are placed above the needs of others, why would one be willing to lay down one’s life? In a word, the world says that what Christians believe and do is “foolish.” But as St. Paul says, “God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.” It is in giving that we receive. It is in losing our lives that we find them. It is in dying that we are born to life eternal. Just ask Jesus. Read the Gospels, and there you will see the wisdom of Christ crucified.

Let us pray: Almighty God, whose dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Bishop’s Committee Meeting after the Eucharist (this is the third Sunday of the month).

We will celebrate the ministry of St. Vincent’s House on Sunday, 25 September 2011 with Eucharist Rite II at St. Augustine of Hippo.

The Third Annual St. Augustine Art Show begins this month and the theme is "Love."

PLEASE REMEMBER THOSE ON OUR PRAYER LIST: On this the third anniversary of Hurricane Ike, we give thanks for all of those who helped our community to rebuild. We pray for all of those whose lives have been impacted by the wild fires blazing through Texas, especially the people of Bastrop and the congregation of Calvary Episcopal Church and their rector, the Rev. Lisa Hines. We pray for all of the unemployed. We pray in thanksgiving and gratitude for the generosity of St. Augustine’s friends who show the love of Christ to us, and especially for John J. Makowski, Jr.

“Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226)

Monday, September 12, 2011

Today, the Daily Office looks to Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, and Paul writes:

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, to the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you— so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you should be in agreement and that there should be no divisions among you, but that you should be united in the same mind and the same purpose. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. What I mean is that each of you says, ‘I belong to Paul’, or ‘I belong to Apollos’, or ‘I belong to Cephas’, or ‘I belong to Christ.’ Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.

For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.’ (1 Cor. 1: 1-19).

As your servant in Christ, I can truly echo the words of St. Paul when he says: “I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you— so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

I give thanks every day for the privilege of serving this community of faith. The community of faith at St. Augustine of Hippo has truly shown me what it means to depend on the grace of the God, and on its strength. Over the last three years, we have overcome much. We have rebuilt in the face of disaster and have become the stronger for it. Now we must look for what God is calling us to do. God has restored us. Now God asks us, “What will you do to build up the body of Christ which is suffering from the devastation?” The choice is yours. I pray that we respond with the generosity that was shown to us.

Let us pray: Almighty and everlasting God, from whom comes every good and perfect gift: Send down upon us, the congregations committed to your care, the healthful Spirit of thy grace: and, that they may truly please you, pour upon us the continual dew of your blessing. Grant this, O Lord, for the honor of our Advocate and Mediator, Jesus Christ. Amen.

We will celebrate the ministry of St. Vincent’s House on Sunday, 25 September 2011 with Eucharist Rite II at St. Augustine of Hippo.

The Third Annual St. Augustine Art Show begins this month and the theme is "Love."

PLEASE REMEMBER THOSE ON OUR PRAYER LIST: Today we give thanks for all of those who helped our community to rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Ike. We pray for all of those whose lives have been impacted by the wild fires blazing through Texas, especially the people of Bastrop and the congregation of Calvary Episcopal Church and their rector, the Rev. Lisa Hines. We pray for all of the unemployed.

“You are surprised that the world is losing its grip? That the world is grown old? Don't hold onto the old man, the world; don't refuse to regain your youth in Christ, who says to you: 'The world is passing away; the world is losing its grip; the world is short of breath. Don't fear, your youth shall be renewed as an eagle.’” St. Augustine of Hippo

Friday, September 9, 2011

One of the appointed Psalms for today is Psalm 40. The Psalmist writes:

I waited patiently for the Lord;he inclined to me and heard my cry.He drew me up from the desolate pit,out of the miry bog,and set my feet upon a rock,making my steps secure.He put a new song in my mouth,a song of praise to our God.Many will see and fear,and put their trust in the Lord.Happy are those who makethe Lord their trust,who do not turn to the proud,to those who go astray after false gods.You have multiplied, O Lord my God,your wondrous deeds and your thoughts towards us;none can compare with you.Were I to proclaim and tell of them,they would be more than can be counted.Sacrifice and offering you do not desire,but you have given me an open ear.Burnt-offering and sin-offeringyou have not required.Then I said, ‘Here I am;in the scroll of the book it is written of me.I delight to do your will, O my God;your law is within my heart.’I have told the glad news of deliverancein the great congregation;see, I have not restrained my lips,as you know, O Lord.I have not hidden your saving help within my heart,I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulnessfrom the great congregation.Do not, O Lord, withholdyour mercy from me;let your steadfast love and your faithfulnesskeep me safe for ever.For evils have encompassed mewithout number;my iniquities have overtaken me,until I cannot see;they are more than the hairs of my head,and my heart fails me.Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;O Lord, make haste to help me.Let all those be put to shame and confusionwho seek to snatch away my life;let those be turned back and brought to dishonorwho desire my hurt.Let those be appalled because of their shamewho say to me, ‘Aha, Aha!’But may all who seek yourejoice and be glad in you;may those who love your salvationsay continually, ‘Great is the Lord!’As for me, I am poor and needy,but the Lord takes thought for me.You are my help and my deliverer;do not delay, O my God.

God delivers His people! Think of all of those times when God has delivered you from the pit. You may have been ill and in need of healing, and God healed you. You may have been alone and suffering, and God stood with you. You may have lost everything that you had because of a hurricane or wild fires, and God provided help. We were all sinners in need of redemption, and God became like us in every way and died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead to give us life. On this day, rejoice and be thankful!

Let us pray: Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love.

We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side.

We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy and delight us.

We thank you also for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.

Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying, through which he overcame death; and for his rising to life again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.

Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know him and make him known; and through him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to you in all things. Amen.

THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF 9-11: On Sunday, 11 September, at the Eucharist, we will recall the tenth anniversary of 9-11 and the Eucharist will be offered for all of those who lost their lives on that day, and for all of those who mourn the loss of their loved ones who perished on that day.

PLEASE REMEMBER THOSE ON OUR PRAYER LIST: Today we give thanks for a successful heart surgery for Tammie Taylor’s father. We pray for all of those whose lives have been impacted by the wild fires blazing through Texas, especially the people of Bastrop and the congregation of Calvary Episcopal Church and their rector, the Rev. Lisa Hines. We pray for all of the unemployed.

“All our life is like a day of celebration for us; we are convinced, in fact, that God is always everywhere. We work while singing, we sail while reciting hymns, we accomplish all other occupations of life while praying.” — St. Clement of Alexandria (150-215)

Thursday, September 8, 2011

The Daily Office continues today with Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. Paul reminds us to:

Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world. It is by your holding fast to the word of life that I can boast on the day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. But even if I am being poured out as a libation over the sacrifice and the offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you— and in the same way you also must be glad and rejoice with me.

I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may be cheered by news of you. I have no one like him who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. All of them are seeking their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But Timothy’s worth you know, how like a son with a father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. I hope therefore to send him as soon as I see how things go with me; and I trust in the Lord that I will also come soon.

Still, I think it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus—my brother and co-worker and fellow-soldier, your messenger and minister to my need; for he has been longing for all of you, and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. He was indeed so ill that he nearly died. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, so that I would not have one sorrow after another. I am the more eager to send him, therefore, in order that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. Welcome him then in the Lord with all joy, and honor such people, 30because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for those services that you could not give me. (Phil. 2:14-30)

Do all things without murmuring and arguing. No doubt for some that is a difficult task. There are some who thrive on murmuring and arguing. Paul tells us that murmuring and complaining is no way to live. Rather, we should rejoice in everything that we do and hold fast to the word of life, Jesus Christ.

Let us pray: O heavenly Father, who has filled the world with beauty: Open our eyes to behold your gracious hand in all your works; that, rejoicing in your whole creation, we may learn to serve you with gladness; for the sake of him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF 9-11: On Sunday, 11 September, at the Eucharist, we will recall the tenth anniversary of 9-11 and the Eucharist will be offered for all of those who lost their lives on that day, and for all of those who mourn the loss of their loved ones who perished on that day.

PLEASE REMEMBER THOSE ON OUR PRAYER LIST: Today we especially remember Tammie Taylor’s father who will be undergoing heart surgery in the near future, and for Tammie’s mother and entire family that Jesus’ healing hand may touch the family. We pray also for Malcolm whose mother, Wanda Willis Simpson, died yesterday, may God the Father embrace him with His loving arms during this time of grief. We pray for all of those whose lives have been impacted by the wild fires blazing through Texas, especially the people of Bastrop and the congregation of Calvary Episcopal Church and their rector, the Rev. Lisa Hines.

I rise todaywith the power of God to pilot me,God’s strength to sustain me,God’s wisdom to guide me,God’s eye to look ahead for me,God’s ear to hear me,God’s word to speak for me,God’s hand to protect me,God’s way before me,God’s shield to defend me,God’s host to deliver me,from snares of devils,from evil temptations,from nature’s failings,from all who wish to harm me,far or near,alone and in a crowd.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Today the Daily Office continues with Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, and we hear about humility; we also read one of the early liturgical hymns in the Church:

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

who, though he was in the form of God,did not regard equality with Godas something to be exploited,but emptied himself,taking the form of a slave,being born in human likeness.And being found in human form,he humbled himselfand became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.Therefore God also highly exalted himand gave him the namethat is above every name,so that at the name of Jesusevery knee should bend,in heaven and on earth and under the earth,and every tongue should confessthat Jesus Christ is Lord,to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2: 1-11)

Jesus was God, but he did not “lord it over people.” Rather than exploit his position as being the second person of the Trinity, Jesus gave totally of himself even to the point of death for you and for me. How many of us can say that we serve others with a cheerful heart? How many of us would rather be served? We should each follow Jesus’ example—he who is God was servant to all.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, we pray you to set your passion, cross, and death between your judgment and our souls, now and in the hour of our death. Give mercy and grace to the living; pardon and rest to the dead; to your holy Church peace and concord; and to us sinners everlasting life and glory; for with the Father and the Holy Spirit you live and reign, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

PLEASE REMEMBER THOSE ON OUR PRAYER LIST: Today we especially remember Tammie Taylor’s father who will be undergoing heart surgery in the near future, and for Tammie’s mother and entire family that Jesus’ healing hand may touch the family. We pray also for Malcolm whose mother, Wanda Willis Simpson, died yesterday, may God the Father embrace him with His loving arms during this time of grief. We pray for all of those whose lives have been impacted by the wild fires blazing through Texas, especially the people of Bastrop and the congregation of Calvary Episcopal Church and their rector, the Rev. Lisa Hines.

“The Son of God did not want to be seen and found in heaven. Therefore he descended from heaven into this humility and came to us in our flesh, laid himself into the womb of his mother and into the manger and went on to the cross. This was the ladder that he placed on earth so that we might ascend to God on it. This is the way you must take.” Martin Luther, Theologian, Reformer of the Church (1483-1546)

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Today the Daily Office Epistle reading is taken from Paul’s Letter to the Philippians:

I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ; and most of the brothers and sisters, having been made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the word with greater boldness and without fear.

Some proclaim Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill. These proclaim Christ out of love, knowing that I have been put here for the defense of the gospel; the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but intending to increase my suffering in my imprisonment. What does it matter? Just this, that Christ is proclaimed in every way, whether out of false motives or true; and in that I rejoice.

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will result in my deliverance. It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that by my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.

Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well— since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. (Phil. 1:12-30)

Even as I write this, wild fires are burning in Texas. Over 500 homes have been lost in the Bastrop area. At this very minute, the Diocese of Texas is mobilizing to help the victims. Calvary Episcopal in Bastrop first acted a shelter for some families, but was then evacuated as the fires approached downtown. Twelve members of Calvary in Bastrop have lost their homes to the fires.

On the west side of Austin, St. Luke’s on the Lake is acting as a resource center for a fire that has destroyed much of Steiner Ranch, a nearby neighborhood that has lost at least 25 homes. St. Luke’s is gathering food, water, and supplies for families that are currently displaced, and the media are currently using the church as a broadcast point for their coverage of the fire. The church plans to host a dinner for residents of Steiner Ranch this evening from 5-8 p.m.

The Church of the Resurrection in Austin is gathering clothing.

In the midst of this we hear St. Paul’s words: “Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will result in my deliverance.” The Body of Christ, the Church, you and me and people like us, continue to work for to bring relief and peace to injured souls and people’s whose lives have been forever changed. These individuals experience the Risen Christ through the work of the Church, and even in the midst of sadness and loss, they rejoice, even through tears, because they know the love of Christ.

Let us pray: Assist us mercifully, O Lord, in these our supplications and prayers, and dispose the way of your servants towards the attainment of everlasting salvation; that, among all the changes and chances of this mortal life, they may ever be defended by your gracious and ready help; through JesusChrist our Lord. Amen.

PLEASE REMEMBER THOSE ON OUR PRAYER LIST: Today we especially remember Malcolm whose mother, Wanda Willis Simpson, died this morning, and we pray for all of those whose lives have been impacted by the wild fires blazing through Texas, and all of those hurt by the floodwaters of tropical storm Lee, and we pray for the Rev. Helen Appelberg who celebrated her 81st birthday yesterday.

“Let no one grieve at his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed. Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again; for forgiveness has risen from the grave. Let no one fear death, for the Death of our Savior has set us free. He has destroyed it by enduring it.” St. John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople; sermon, ca. 400.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Today we celebrate Labor Day as a national holiday. What does Scripture say about work? Work is a holy thing, a blessed thing. The Old Testament tells us: “A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?” Eccles. 2: 24-25.

In his Second Letter to the Thessalonians, St. Paul tells us: “Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.” 2 Thes. 3: 11-13.

Today, there are many people who want to work but cannot find work because of the state of the economy. On this Labor Day, we should pray for all of those who are unemployed and desirous of finding work, and those of us who are employed should also thank God and remember that our work is blessed.

Let us pray: Almighty God, you have so linked our lives one with another that all we do affects, for good or ill, all other lives: So guide us in the work we do, that we may do it not for self alone, but for the common good; and, as we seek a proper return for our own labor, make us mindful of the rightful aspirations of other workers, and arouse our concern for those who are out of work; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Please remember everyone on our prayer list.

"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were: any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee." The Rev. Dr. John Donne, Dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, England (1572-1631)

Friday, September 2, 2011

Today the Church remembers the martyrs of New Guinea of which James Kiefer writes:

New Guinea, one of the world's largest islands, has a difficult terrain that discourages travel between districts, Consequently, it is home to many isolated tribes, with many different cultures and at least 500 languages. Christian missionaries began work there in the 1860s, but proceeded slowly.

When World War II threatened Papua and New Guinea, it was obvious that missionaries of European origin were in danger. There was talk of leaving. Bishop Philip Strong wrote to his clergy: “We must endeavor to carry on our work. God expects this of us. The church at home, which sent us out, will surely expect it of us. The universal church expects it of us. The people whom we serve expect it of us. We could never hold up our faces again if, for our own safety, we all forsook Him and fled, when the shadows of the Passion began to gather around Him in His spiritual and mystical body, the Church in Papua.”

They stayed. Almost immediately there were arrests. Eight clergymen and two laymen were executed “as an example” on 2 September 1942. In the next few years, many Papuan Christians of all Churches risked their own lives to care for the wounded.

Let us pray: Almighty God, we remember before you this day the blessed martyrs of New Guinea, who, following the example of their Savior, laid down their lives for their friends; and we pray that we, who honor their memory, may imitate their loyalty and faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

TREES FOR GALVESTON

The Galveston Island Tree Conservancy’s 2011/12 NeighborWoods Project has been chosen as one of 20 finalists for Tom’s of Maine 50 States for Good Community Sponsorship. We have the opportunity to win a share of $150,000 to fund next year’s NeighborWoods in Galveston, Texas, but we need your on-line vote to help us win one of five $20,000 sponsorships or one $50,000 sponsorship. To find out more about NeighborWoods please visit www.galvestonislandtreeconservancy.org.

To vote, please go to www.50statesforgood.com, click on Vote Now and vote for The Galveston Island Tree Conservancy. Help us plant 700 trees in Galveston Island Neighborhoods in 2011/12!

Top twenty (20) applications will be posted on www.50statesforgood.com, and the public will be encouraged to vote from Tuesday, 2 August 2011 to Tuesday, 13 September 2011. Visitors can vote once (1) per day. Project voting standings will be displayed on www.50statesforgood.com and will be public until the last week of voting, on or about 6 September 2011. At the completion of the final voting phase, the 6 projects with the highest vote totals will be declared as the selected projects to receive funding, as determined by the consumer vote.

PRAYER MINISTRY

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, and we especially pray for those addicted to drugs and/or alcohol; shut-ins; anyone suffering from depression of anxiety of any kind; those suffering from the extreme heat, all of those who are traveling; those suffering any kind of adversity; for families; and for all those looking for work. “The things we really need come to us only as gifts, and in order to receive them as gifts we have to be open. In order to be open we have to renounce ourselves, in a sense we have to die to our image of ourselves, our autonomy, our fixation upon our self-willed identity.” —Thomas Merton

About Me

The Rev. Chester J. Makowski serves as the Rector of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Livingston, Texas. Prior to this, he served as the Vicar of St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church in Galveston, Texas, which was established in 1884. He was there for eight years.